Inquiry: Vermeer’s Hat: The 17th Century And The Dawn Of The Global World - Timothy Brook

 What can a 17th Century painting by the Dutch artist Vermeer tell us about the aesthetics of the rich and powerful in China? How can the pretty designs on a simple porcelain Deltware plate reveal the convoluted story of the pernicious spread of tobacco around the globe? Our guest tonight is TIMOTHY BROOK. Professor Brook is Principal of St. John’s College at the University of British Columbia and holds of the Shaw Chair In Chinese Studies at Oxford University. Professor Brook has written a unique history of the 17th Century, a time when commerce and culture from all around the globe collided in unexpected ways to form the beginnings of the modern world. Professor Brook’s lively history is titled VERMEER’S HAT: THE 17TH CENTURY AND THE DAWN OF THE GLOBAL WORLD.